This invention relates to an improved drum and snare mechanism, particularly useful with marching drums.
The basic snare is used on a drum to add volume, sustain and attack as well as tonal adjustment. In the prior art, this is accomplished by stringing numerous gut, wire or tension-type springs across the batter (top) head and/or bottom (snare) head.
In the prior art, for the batter or top head, a snare mechanism consisting essentially of a mount and snares is attached beneath the drum head within the interior of the drum shell. On the bottom head, a similar mechanism is affixed externally to the drum shell. Such a system necessarily uses two differently constructed snare mechanisms.
The prior art internal top head snare mechanism poses particular problems, however. In the prior art, no satisfactory mechanism apparently exists which provides for direct contact between the top head and snare wires across the entire diameter of the top head. This necessarily reduces the effectiveness of the top snare. Also in the prior art, snare tension at the top head can only be adjusted at adjustment points within the interior of the shell. Fine tension adjustments to the snare tension at the top head are thus difficult and time consuming. Due to its bulk and complexity, the prior art internal top snare mechanism adds significantly to the cost and weight of the drum. The complexity of the internal mechanism also makes the drum prone to rattles. Also, lack of precision inherent in the prior art structures makes tuning and achieving uniform sound in a drum corps difficult.
The majority of snare mechanisms in the prior art use a group of 12 to 24 snare wires soldered to a bed. The bed is tensioned in unison from one point via, for example, an adjustment screw. With such mechanisms, individual adjustment of the snare wires, though desirable, is impossible. Adjustments in the height of the snare bed with respect to the drum head is usually made from a single point at each end of the snare bed. Height adjustment of the snare bed is thus lacking in precision. Height and tension adjustments are often required due to wear of components such as snare springs or manufacturing imperfections in components.
In the prior art, drum head tensioning is ordinarily accomplished with hardware mounted to the shell. This hardware inhibits resonance of the shell, and thus defeats the purpose of the shell being used as a sound chamber. If the drum shell were free of hardware, tonal quality, pitch intensity and timber (warmth) would be added to the drum.